


watch the sun rise (gonna win this time)

by words_unravel



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, DJ Payno, Liam isn't in the band, M/M, One Direction is still a band
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:13:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4913722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/words_unravel/pseuds/words_unravel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Wherein Liam decides not to go back to X-Factor the second time and ends up as a DJ in London's hottest new club instead.</i>
</p><p>
  <i>Enter one Louis Tomlinson.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	watch the sun rise (gonna win this time)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Loor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Loor/gifts).



> Written for loor's prompt:  
>  _AU in which Liam never joined the band but became one of their biggest fans instead. He always told himself he would never become one of those groupies following a band around. But then one night he ends up sleeping with Louis Tomlinson and he realizes he has a lot more feelings about this band, and about one boy in particular, then he ever cared to admit. Will Louis return his feelings or was this just a one night stand for the boy?_
> 
> I'm not sure, fundamentally, that One Direction would really work without Liam but it was fun to write a what-if of that and to see how things would play out with Louis Tomlinson. This fic could have been a bazillion more words, but I've been wretched at challenge timelines this year, so unfortunately it is not. I hope both the recipient and readers enjoy it!
> 
> As always, a wonderful round of love and applause to my babes Ashley, Lucy, and Sarah for the beta and britpick. Any mistakes from here on are mine and mine alone.

* * *

Liam doesn’t go back. 

He does everything Simon said, learns about music, practices until even his father is worried about him. He does it all. And then, standing there in line with all the other contestants, he calmly removes his number and walks back to the car. His parents trail after him, asking if he’s okay, but Liam doesn’t say a word. 

_Everyone panics, son,_ he hears his dad say. It’s not that though; Liam isn’t panicked, he’s more calm than he’s probably ever been in his life. _It’s okay to be scared._ That’s his mum now, wrapping her arms around his neck. He can hear the tears in her words and that makes his throat tighten a bit. 

He still doesn’t speak though, not as they climb into the vehicle. Not as they make their way home. He climbs into bed that night, still not having said a word. Liam never tells them it wasn’t panic, that it was more the opposite, really. He’d looked around at all those people and thought about how far he’d gotten the previous year and decided the odds were too great - one person couldn’t get that lucky again. 

Liam looked at the odds and decided that he was going to be sensible, not put all his hopes and dreams into one basket. A long shot basket at best.

It hurts a bit, but Liam loves music and loves competition so he watches the entire season of X-Factor that year. There’s a group of boys his age that get a second chance and maybe that’s what he latches on to, watches them, votes religiously.

When they lose, Liam’s more than a little heartbroken but he knows it, knows that when Zayn tells Dermot, “This isn’t the last of One Direction,” it’s the truth.

 

**

 

_Five Years Later_

Liam can feel a trickle of sweat roll down the center of his back, but he ignores it. The club is hot, it always is this time of night, but Liam kind of loves it. He pulls the headset off his right ear about halfway, letting the sound from the room hit him. 

_Lucent_ is the hottest thing in London right now and Liam’s been the closing DJ for a little over a month now. It’s a big deal, one that Liam hadn’t ever thought a scrawny kid from Wolverhampton would ever get. But he’s here; he’s made it. 

It had taken a lot of hard work, of course, but it wasn’t his original path. After not returning to X-Factor, Liam had finished out school and then agonized over whether to go to uni or not. He had, in the end, heading into the Sound Engineering program. That particular decision had somewhat surprised his parents. 

Liam had been surprised as well. 

It had hurt a bit, knowing he wasn’t going to be singing for his future, but music still called to him. He’d loved the program and found that his appreciation for the intricacies behind the mic only made him appreciate music all the more. 

During uni, he’d started messing around with mixing. Trying this and that, and failing spectacularly at times. He kept going though, fascinated. He’d learned more, practiced. Got better. Posting up his mixes to SoundCloud and YouTube earned him a steady following, and then out of the blue one day, he’d received an email from a local club. 

And now he’s here. 

 

It’s not quite last call, there’s still half an hour or so left, and Liam’s scrolling through his list. He wants to play something new, but he’s not feeling anything he’s seen so far. At least not until he hits about halfway down his list. 

After a moment of staring down at his computer, Liam queues it up to play near the end of his set. 

Two days ago, Liam had watched One Direction play their last show at the O2 Arena. The media’s been awash with break-up rumors despite the band doing their best to convince the fans that they were only taking a break. Liam’s followed them for the last five years though, knows how hard they’ve worked, and frankly he’s surprised they haven’t imploded before now. 

The beginning notes of the mix drag him out of his head. He’s thankful for muscle memory, for hands going through the motions; it’s not often he’s distracted up here in the booth. This job feeds off response from the crowd and Liam’s generally very tuned into them. It’s one of his favorite parts of the job, to be honest. 

Even now, attention focused again, he can feel how they slow down. They way the roll with the tempo of the music in the air. 

This particular mix is an odd one for the club, Fleetwood Mac’s _The Chain_ swirling in and out of 1D’s _Fireproof_. Even Liam hadn’t been too sure of until it had all finally come together. It’s also probably not what his bosses want to hear, but it’s close enough to closing time that Liam thinks it will help the club close - keep the patrons lax and easy to maneuver, without killing their buzz altogether. 

Plus, it sounds _good_.

Liam lets himself feel a tiny rush of pride and then shakes it off, preparing for the last song of the night. 

 

Liam gets through his set, switching over to house music as the light flashes for last call. He’s gathering his stuff up, putting his laptop in its bag, when movement catches at the corner of his eye. Without turning, he says, “Sorry, only employees allowed up here.”

“Pretty sure you playing my music means I get a pass.” Liam whips his head around, eyes going wide. 

Standing in front of him in a tight tee and even tighter trousers, is Louis Tomlinson. 

Somehow he’s even more attractive in person. Liam swallows, standing up. 

Louis’ gaze sharpens and Liam tenses, unsure of what’s going to happen. A second later Louis grins, wide and full of teeth. Somehow it does nothing to settle the unease in Liam’s stomach. 

“That yours then?” Louis asks. At Liam’s confused look, he jerks the bottle in his hand, motioning towards Liam’s deck. “That mash-up?”

Running a hand over the back of his neck, Liam nods. “It’s, yeah. It’s mine.” 

He wants to blurt out an apology for some reason, doesn’t know why something like guilt is swirling around his stomach. That feeling shifts into a hint of wariness as Louis moves, staring hard at Liam as he steps in closer. Liam finds himself trying to get some moisture in his mouth, swallowing again. 

“S’good,” Louis says, when he’s a couple feet away. He looks away then, eyes moving to take in the crowd slowly dispersing below. Glancing back at Liam, he murmurs. “Haz’d love it. He’s the biggest boner for Stevie Nicks.”

Liam follows Harry on Instagram, remembers the pictures and social media going crazy about birthday cakes. He very nearly blurts, _I know_ before stopping himself. 

Something on his face must show it anyway because Louis laughs. It sounds sharp, and Liam flinches. 

“You’re not our usual demographic,” Louis says. He’s back to watching Liam with an intensity that makes Liam want to fidget. “Not a creeper, are you?”

“No!” Liam tells him. It feels like his cheeks are going to melt off, they’re so hot, but he ends up shrugging and repeating, “No,” then, “It’s good stuff, your songs.”

“And I like music,” He ends up adding, pulling his shoulders back and looking Louis in the eye. “Naught to be ashamed of, is it? Liking music?”

“Course not,” is all Louis ends up saying back. The look in his eyes has shifted, his gaze less harsh than before, but Liam’s still having a hard time not squirming. “Music’s got me where I’m at today.”

Something rings off about the statement, but before Liam can put his finger on it, the other man is talking again.

“Of course not,” Louis repeats. Then to Liam’s utter surprise, “Fancy chattin’ about it back at mine?”

 

Liam finds himself in a hotel suite that’s bigger than his flat. There’s a jacuzzi on the balcony and three bottles of champagne on the entrance table when they walk in. Louis ignores all of it, striding through the room leaving Liam to follow. 

They _do_ drink. 

Not the champagne that’s been provided, but mixes from the little bottles lined up on a nearby shelf. Some are better than others. They drink and Louis drags Liam’s music out of him, one song at a time on his laptop. Liam’s head spins, both from the alcohol and the attention. 

Louis’ a bit mean, he finds. Sharp-tongued and quick-fingered. He likes Liam’s stuff though, that Liam can tell. A hum of approval and a curve at the corner of his mouth before he reaches out to create havoc of some sort. A poke in the ribs or, as the night starts to slip into early morning, a twist of a nipple. 

It’s a bit strange. Liam’s never met someone so instantly prone to touch, to being inside his space like it’s a right. Like it’s owed to him. Unsure of how to respond, Liam lets it roll off of him and just keeps punching up new music. 

After one bout of vicious nipple twisting, Liam catches Louis’ wrists and stops him. Louis stills at that, like he was waiting for it. He’s not looking at Liam, and Liam just holds his breath, staring down at the way Louis’ lashes feather, thick, over his cheeks. 

Louis hums then, startling Liam. His heartbeat is rapid and loud in his ears. It’s gets even worse when Louis finally does look up and shifts closer to Liam. 

“You know where this is headed, don’t you?” Louis murmurs. He’s practically in Liam’s lap now, a line of too-warm heat, seeping into Liam’s clothes and skin. 

Liam can feel the way his body reacts to the words, to the heat of Louis’ body aligned with his. “You’re drunk,” he manages to get out. 

Louis huffs a laugh at that. “I’ve had a few drinks, Liam. So’ve you. I think we’re both aware of what we’re doing.”

That makes Liam swallow hard. He opens his mouth, then closes it again, unsure of what to say. Something shutters closed behind Louis’ eyes at his hesitation and Liam wants to shout, frustrated with himself and whatever the hell is going on between the two of them. 

“Forget it,” Louis says, and starts to move back. 

LIam knows he’ll regret it if he doesn’t take this chance. Without thinking, he tightens his grip on Louis’ wrists. It makes Louis hiss but Liam can feel the way his hips jerk. 

“I don’t want to forget it,” Liam says, voice quiet. “I just, um.” He can feel his face heating up as Louis watches him. “I don’t have a lot of experience with guys,” he finally gets out. A grin spreads slowly across Louis’ face and for a split second Liam’s a little scared. 

“We can work on that,” Louis tells him, and pushes.

 

“ _Fuck,_ ” Louis gasps. “Fuckfuckfuck, your _fingers_.” 

He arches up, trying to shove himself down harder on the three fingers Liam’s got buried in him. There’s lube everywhere, Liam unsure of what the hell he was doing when they’d first reached this point. He’s got a fair hold on it now, he thinks, curling his other hand around Louis’ hip and pressing him down into the mattress to keep still as he presses his fingers up, sliding them in and out slowly. 

It makes Louis whine. A sound that still, even after the first time Liam’d drawn it out of Louis, makes his dick twitch. 

“Sweet fucking Christ,” Louis hisses, “if you don’t get your cock in me right now‒”

“You’re so fucking pushy,” Liam mutters. There’s mutiny on Louis’ face though, so he pulls his fingers out. There’s a little satisfaction in the gasp that falls from Louis’ mouth, but before Liam can say anything, Louis’ twisting around onto his hands and knees. 

“Like this, yeah?” He doesn’t wait for Liam’s answer, urging, “C’mon, c’mon.”

That nearly makes Liam snort. He presses his lips together to stop it, but Louis must still hear something. 

“Oh, fuck off,” he says, glaring over his shoulder, and Liam can’t help the giggle that escapes. It makes Louis scowl. “That’s it, we’re‒”

“No, no,” Liam rushes to say, hands grasping at Louis’ hips to keep him in place. Louis makes a noise at that, low in his throat. A good noise, Liam thinks. Knows it for certain when he presses his fingers in harder and Louis goes loose under his hands. 

It’s a bit of whiplash for Liam, going from unsure to hot to silly and now, staring at the obscene curve of Louis’ back, ending up here, at intense. 

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs, too long after the fact. Louis doesn’t seem to care now, what with the way Liam’s absently rutting against him. Shaking his head, Liam reluctantly loosens the grip of one hand and pats the bed around his knees for the condom packet he knows is there. 

He finds it quickly enough but Louis’ starting to get impatient by the time Liam’s got in on. Liam wants to apologize, he’s not got this far with a bloke before. And it’s not like he doesn’t want to be here, but with his hand around his prick, just about to press in, he hesitates. 

“Liammmm,” Louis drags out, definitely impatient now. “Just put your cock in my arse. Neither one of us is going to break.”

It nearly makes Liam laugh again. It hits him then, that he really wishes they were face to face. It’s a bit silly, but Liam likes seeing Louis’ eyes. They’re the only part that’s been really honest with Liam all night. 

Before he can say anything though, Louis pushes back into him, causing the tip of Liam’s cock to drag over his hole. They both make a noise at that and Liam does it again, then a second time. It catches and Liam presses forward the smallest bit. 

“There’s a good lad‒”

The words are cut off as Liam slides in fully in a single motion and Louis’ knuckles go white as he grasps at the bedclothes. He’s cursing now, low and slurred, but Liam can’t properly comprehend the words. Not with the way Louis feels around him, hot and tight. 

It’s nothing like Liam’s felt before, not even with the women he’s been with. The heat swirling in his belly is well familiar though, and he digs his teeth into his bottom lip, trying to stop the noise that wants to spill from his mouth.

“Don’t you fucking dare.”

This time Liam hears the words loud and clear. Louis presses back and Liam gasps, once again reaching out to hold Louis’ hips still. His fingers are pressed in hard this time, maybe enough to bruise, but Louis’ got to hold still or‒

“Don’t you dare fucking blow your load now,” Louis snaps. He sounds disgruntled, but Liam can hear the breathlessness there too. Somehow or another that helps, knowing that it’s affecting Louis as well. The urgency fades a little at that and he pulls out, sliding back in slowly and savoring the way Louis feels around him. 

That seems to satisfy Louis and for a while, all that’s echoing in the room is the sound of their skin coming together and the breaths that seem to get more ragged as the time ticks by. Louis makes these tiny noises every time Liam fucks in little harder and it’s that that has Liam reaching down and wrapping his arm around Louis’ waist. He hauls him up without thinking, up against Liam’s chest and deeper on his cock. 

He can feel Louis’ thighs strain, set outside his own and he bites off a groan and snaps his hips forward again.

“Showing off your muscles, are you?” 

Louis’ dig would be more effective if his voice hadn’t cracked in the middle. Liam’s kind of getting it though, how Louis pushes when he’s not sure, or overwhelmed. When he really likes something. He pinches a nipple between his thumb and forefinger, tugging at it, and Louis cries out. 

“ _Shitfuck, Liam_ ,” Louis gasps. “Please‒I need‒” He’s grasping at Liam’s hip with one hand, the other digging into Liam’s wrist, still pressed against his chest. “ _Please‒_ ”

The urgency hits Liam again then, with Louis’ voice and the way his body tightens around him. He breathes out his own agreement, hardly more than a groan, and pushes them both forward again. Louis barely manages to catch himself, his arms giving way almost immediately as Liam fucks hard into him. The line of Louis’ back is curved, chest pressed into the bed, and Liam’s hand slides easily along his spine up to his neck through the sweat they’ve created. His fingers find their way into the hair there and without thinking, his grip tightens. 

There’s a sharp cry from Louis and Liam knows neither of them are going to last much longer. 

 

Louis cleans him up afterward. Well, he wipes them both off with a hotel sheet and passes over the rubbish bin for Liam to drop the used condom in. Still, he burrows under the covers and tugs Liam in with him so that’s a nice thing.

“Not bad for your first time,” Louis mumbles. He gives Liam’s chest an absent pat, seconds away from falling asleep. Liam wants to be embarrassed at the praise, but he’s all fucked out. The intensity of his orgasm and the warmth of Louis’s body against his has his own eyelids fluttering shut. 

He should probably leave, unsure of the proper etiquette for something like this. But then Louis slides his hand across Liam’s chest and curls his fingers around Liam’s arm, so Liam falls asleep instead. 

 

Liam wakes up once during the night to find Louis still curled around him. He must move or something, because Louis murmurs, voice grumpy, “It’s too early, go back to sleep.” There’s a half-hearted tweak at Liam’s nipple, but Louis already back to sleep before Liam can protest. 

It’s comfortable and his eyes keep trying to close, so Liam does that, and falls back to sleep. 

 

The next time he wakes, it’s to the familiar buzzing sound of a silenced message. Liam blinks his eyes open to find Louis sat on the edge of the bed. He’s staring down at the mobile in his hand, a myriad of emotions playing across his face. The line of his shoulders is tense and Liam knows that if he reached out to touch him now, to comfort, it would be pushed away. 

Still, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t wish it wouldn’t. Which, in and of itself, is worrying to Liam.

“Fucking Zayn.”

The words are hushed, not supposed to be heard, and as Liam watches, the muscles in Louis’ jaw twitch. Like he’s grinding his teeth together. Like he’s trying to hold back more words. A moment later, Louis scrubs a hand over his eyes and Liam can see the minute shake of his fingers. 

Liam knows in an instant, and without doubt, that everything is about to change for Louis. It makes his chest ache and that bit’s startling, realizing he’s already so attached. 

It can’t end well for him, Liam knows, but when Louis glances over at him, every emotion written in his eyes for a split second, he knows that won’t matter. Louis’ face goes blank almost immediately, everything shuttered inside. To Liam’s surprise, he doesn’t say anything, just watches him until Liam can’t take it anymore. 

“Come back to bed?” Liam whispers, unsure of the response. If he’s honest with himself, Liam’s sure he’s about to be chucked out. 

Louis watches him for another minute and Liam wants to reach out, touch him. He keeps his hands still though and in further surprise, Louis does exactly that. Shoves his way under the bedclothes again, lying close but not too close to Liam. 

The heat from Louis’ body bleeds over and Liam decides then he’s got nothing to lose, really, and scoots closer. Trailing his fingers across Louis’ bare stomach earns him a shiver. Louis still doesn’t protest and when Liam chances a glance at the other boy’s face, it’s to find him watching Liam. The coolness has left Louis’ face, though he’s still full of angles and sharp edges. Liam tugs him closer. 

And he goes, shoving his face into Liam’s neck and going lax against Liam’s body. It makes Liam’s heart speed up, loud in his ears. 

The peace doesn’t last long though, Louis sinking his teeth in Liam’s neck. In return, Liam slides a hand to curl his hand around the back of Louis’s neck. He squeezes, and Louis goes slack again. Against his thigh, Liam can feel Louis’ cock getting hard. 

Against his neck, Liam can hear him mutter, “I think you’re a little dangerous, Liam Payne.”

 _I think you’re terrifying_ , Liam doesn’t say. Instead, he presses Louis onto his back, and kisses him. 

Louis lets him and Liam knows that he’s in trouble.


End file.
